Pressure type dish washer

ABSTRACT

A pressure type dish washer comprising a housing having a flexible side walled reservoir in the housing, said side walls being compressible and expandable and fastened to a rigid bottom and to the top of the housing. Dish racks are supported in a frame mounted on and depending from the housing top. The reservoir side walls are alternately compressed and expanded by means in the housing bearing on the bottom of the reservoir to intermittently pressurize the washing fluid in the reservoir. Air is permitted to enter or escape from the reservoir in response to alternate compression and expansion of the reservoir side walls.

United States Patent 1191 Hall i 1451 July 23, 1974 22 Filed:

211 Appl. No.: 363,086

[52 US. Cl 134/117, 134/143, 134/196 [51] Int. Cl B08b 3/04 [58] Fieldof Search 134/115R, 117, 136, 143,

Padial; 68/21 3,512,539 5/1970 Hamilton 134/136 Primary Examiner-RobertL. Bleutge Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Bertha L. MacGregor 5 7 ABSTRACT Apressure type dish washer comprising a housing having a flexible sidewalled reservoir in the housing, said side walls being compressible andexpandable and fastened to a rigid bottom and to the top of the housing.Dish racks are supported in a frame mounted on and dependingifrom thehousing top. The reservoir side walls are alternately compressed andexpanded by means'in the housing bearing on the bottom of the reservoirto intermittently pressurize the washing fluid in the reservoir. Air ispermitted to enter or escape from the reservoir in response to alternatecompression and expansion of the reservoir side walls.

4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure PRESSURE TYPE orsu WASHER This inventionrelates to a pressure type dish washer which is free of rotary or othermechanical agitators for agitating the water and detergents employed fordish washing.

The object of the invention is to provide mechanism for efficientwashingand drying of dishes by using minimal quantities of water anddetergents. Another object is to eliminate the use of conventionalrotary type agitators.

Another object is to provide dish carrying racks supported by means inthe water reservoir that do not interfere with the pressurizing of thewashingfluid in the reservoir. i

Another object is to provide means for air intake and escape in responseto expansion and compression of a the side walls of the reservoir whichare flexible to permit such alternate expansion and compression betweenthe reservoir bottom and the housing top. The resultant intermittentpressurizing of the washing fluid produces an inhalation-exhalationeffect in the reservoir that causes vibration and pulsation forefficient cleansing of dishes being washed therein. Simple motor drivenmechanism in the housing beneath the bottom of the reservoir alternatelyraises and lowers the reservoir bottom and produces the intermittentpressurizing of the washing fluid.

In the drawing: The FIGURE is a transverse vertical sectional view,partly in elevation, of an air pressurized dish washer and sterilizerembodying my invention.

' In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, the housing10 may becircular or rectangular in horizontal cross section, the bottom11 resting on castors 12 for convenience in moving the machine. Thestationary top 13 has an opening therethrough large enough to permitremoval of dishes, and racks, closed by a cover 14 seatedon a gasket 15.The cover may be hingedly or removably mounted in the housing top, andlocked during operation of the machine. A backpanel l6 rises from thetop 13 and encloses conventional control means for controlling speed,volume and temperature, with exposed manually operable knobs or buttons17 and on-off dial 18 which may bear Braille indicia as well asconventional identification means.

Within the housing 10 is a water reservoir preferably consisting ofintegral cylindrical side walls 20 and a closed rigid bottom 21connected to said side walls. The sidewalls 20 are made of hard rubberor plastic formed to provide horizontally disposed ribs 22 andintermediate grooves or channels 23, opposite surfaces being generallycomplemental to each other. The material of which the side walls 20 aremade is sufficiently flexible to have imparted thereto alternatecompression and expansion action, as hereinafter explained. The

upperedge of the side walls 20 is sealingly attached at 24 to the top13. Dish and pan carrying racks 25 and 26 in the reservoir surrounded bythe flexible sidewalls 20 are sup- 2 ported by a U-shaped frame 27 andclips 28 engaging the upright arms of the U-frame, the latter beingfastened to the top 13 as indicated at 29. The upperrack 25 is removablefor placement of dishes on and removal from the lower rack 26.

The reservoir side walls 20 are actuated by mechanism comprising abox-form casing 30 with cover 31,

bottom 33 having an opening 32, spring 34 bearing at its upper endagainst the cover 31 and at its lower end on a plate 35 which-has acentrally located downwardly extending ear 36 pivotally connected at 37to the lever 38. The lower end of the lever 38 is pivotally connected at39 to a cam 40 mounted on the rotated motor shaft 41 of the motor 42. V

A water pump 45 and hose 46 convey water to the reservoir. An uprightpipe 47 extends from the water pump into the reservoir and is providedwith a relief valve 48 with detergent restrainer at its upper end forescape of excess air and admittance of air when required.

Ultra violet and infra red lamps 50 depend from the cover 14 forsterilizing and drying the washed dishes in the reservoir.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The Motor driven shaft 41actuates the cam 40 to alternately raise and lower' the lever 38. On itsupstroke the lever 38 raises the plate 35 and compresses the spring 34,thereby raising the casing 30 and bottom 21 of the reservoir. Raising ofthe bottom 21 compresses the side walls 20 of the reservoir andimparts abellows-like movement to the ribs 22, diminishing the width of thechannels 23 and the depth of thereservoir, thereby compressing the waterin the reservoir. On the downstroke of the lever 38, pressure on thebottom 21 of the' reservoir is relieved, and the side walls'20 resumethe form shown in the drawing. The alternate compression and expansionproduces pressure agitation of the water and detergent'in the reservoirwhich may be likened to pulsation, vibration or quiver of the fluid. Thepipe 48 provides means for escape of excess air and admission ofadditional air when required as the pressure in the reservoir varies inresponse to the expansion and compression of the flexiblesides of thereservoir and produces and exhalation and inhalation action. Molecularenhancement of the cleaning power of the fluid contents of the reservoiris produced by the aerodynamics of the described action which ischaracterized by the absence of conventional rotary or other mechanicalagitators.

I claim:

1. A pressure type dish washer free of conventional c. dish carryingracks and a frame supporting said.

racks in the reservoir,

d. means in the housing bearing on the bottom of the reservoir andalternately raising and lowering the reservoir bottom to therebyalternately compress and expand said reservoir side walls andintermittently pressurizing the fluid in the reservoir, said meansintermittently compressing and expanding the side walls of the reservoircomprise a motor actuated cam, a lever pivotally connected at one end tothe cam, a plate pivotally connected to the other end of the lever, acoiled spring bearing at one end on the plate and at the other .end onthe bottom of the reservoir to alternately raise said bottom to compressthe side walls and to lower said bottom to expand said side walls, and

e. means in the reservoir permitting escape of excess air and admissionof air in response to the alternate compression and expansion of thereservoir side walls.

2. The dish washer defined by claim 1, in which the side walls of thereservoir are provided with horizontally disposed ribs and channelsbetween the ribs, and said ribs are moved toward each other when theside walls are compressed.

, 3. The dish washer defined by claim 1, in which the rack supportingframe is fastened to the housing top and the height of the dish carryingracks and supporting in the reservoir.

1. A pressure type dish washer free of conventional rotary typeagitators comprising a. a housing having a top, bottom and side walls,the top having an opening closed by a cover, b. a water reservoir in thehousing for containing dishes to be washed, said reservoir having abottom and side walls connected to the reservoir bottom and to the topof the housing, said side walls being made of flexible material capableof compression and expansion, c. dish carrying racks and a framesupporting said racks in the reservoir, d. means in the housing bearingon the bottom of the reservoir and alternately raising and lowering thereservoir bottom to thereby alternately compress and expand saidreservoir side walls and intermittently pressurizing the fluid in thereservoir, said means intermittently compressing and expanding the sidewalls of the reservoir comprise a motor actuated cam, a lever pivotallyconnected at one end to the cam, a plate pivotally connected to theother end of the lever, a coiled spring bearing at one end on the plateand at the other end on the bottom of the reservoir to alternately raisesaid bottom to compress the side walls and to lower said bottom toexpand said side walls, and e. means in the reservoir permitting escapeof excess air and admission of air in response to the alternatecompression and expansion of the reservoir side walls.
 2. The dishwasher defined by claim 1, in which the side walls of the reservoir areprovided with horizontally disposed ribs and channels between the ribs,and said ribs are moved toward each other when the side walls arecompressed.
 3. The dish washer defined by claim 1, in which the racksupporting frame is fastened to the housing top and the height of thedish carrying racks and supporting frame is less than the distancebetween the reservoir bottom and housing top to permit compression ofthe reservoir side walls without interference by said racks and frame.4. The dish washer defined by claim 1, in which the means in thereservoir permitting escape of excess air and admission of air inresponse to the alternate compression and expansion of the reservoirside walls comprises a pump located in the housing beneath the reservoirbottom, a pipe rising from the pump and extending through the reservoirbottom to above the water level in the reservoir.